1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a card connector apparatus used for small memory cards for use in various portable information terminals, such as a portable telephone or a PC, or memory support equipments such as a digital camera or a digital AV equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
A card connector apparatus is generally used as an expanded recording apparatus of an electronic equipment such as a personal computer or a digital camera. As a storage medium of the card connector apparatus, a PC card or a memory card has come into wide use.
This PC card or memory card is installed in the card connector apparatus to write and read necessary information. In recent years, as small memory cards, various kinds of memory cards having different shapes, such as a long one, a short one, a thick one, or a thin one, have been developed, and various kinds of card connector apparatuses corresponding to these have been developed.
In this case, the card connector apparatus corresponds to only one kind of memory card, and only one specific memory card has been installed in one card connector apparatus. Thus, in the case where various kinds of memory cards are desired to be used, it has been necessary to prepare card connector apparatuses dedicated to the respective memory cards.
However, in the case where card connector apparatuses dedicated to the respective memory cards are prepared, there have been problems that an electronic equipment in which the card connector apparatuses are mounted becomes large, and when a memory card is installed, a defect occurs that a different kind of memory card is erroneously inserted into a different card connector.
Accordingly, in order to enable installation of two cards having different lengths, there has been proposed a structure in which connector terminal portions capable of coming in contact with contact terminal portions of the respective cards are disposed in two lines in front and in rear in the insertion direction of the card, however, in such structure, in the case where a longer card is inserted, since the long card gets over the connector terminal disposed this side and is moved to the position where it comes in contact with the connector terminal disposed at the inner side, there have been problems that the long card is rubbed with the connector terminal at this side and the bottom is worn away, and the resistance at the time of insertion becomes large. Besides, when ejecting mechanisms are provided for the respective cards, the structure becomes complicated, and the whole apparatus becomes large.
Accordingly, the invention has an object to provide a card connector apparatus which solves the foregoing problems and in which connector terminals are disposed in front and in rear in an insertion direction of a card to enable installation of cards having different lengths, and the respective cards can be smoothly inserted at the time of insertion of the cards. Besides, another object is to eject the respective cards by a simple structure.
In order to solve the above problems, first means of the invention comprises a housing including a storage portion in which both a first short card and a second long card can be installed, a first connector terminal to be connected with a contact terminal portion of the first card, a second connector terminal to be connected with a contact terminal portion of the second card, the first and the second connector terminals being arranged in two lines in front and in rear in a card insertion direction of the storage portion, a slide member disposed to be movable in the card insertion direction in accordance with insertion of a card, and lock means for locking the slide member at a card installation position, and is characterized in that the slide member is provided with a presser plate portion to come in contact with the first connector terminal at a card ejection position to restrain the first connector terminal from protruding into the storage portion, first fastening portions provided at a front side and not coming in contact with the second card but coming in contact with only a front end portion of the first card, and a second fastening portion provided behind the first fastening portions and coming in contact with only a front end portion of the second card, and at a time of insertion of the second card, after the second card passes the first fastening portions to come in contact with the second fastening portion, the slide member is moved from the card ejection position to the card installation position, and the first connector terminal comes away from restraint of the presser plate portion and protrudes into the card storage portion.
Besides, second means comprises a housing including a storage portion in which both a first short card and a second long card can be installed, a first connector terminal to be connected with a contact terminal portion of the first card, a second connector terminal to be connected with a contact terminal portion of the second card, the first and the second connector terminals being arranged in two lines in front and in rear in a card insertion direction of the storage portion, a slide member disposed to be movable in the card insertion direction in accordance with insertion of a card, and lock means for locking the slide member at a card installation position, and is characterized in that the slide member is divided in two parts in front and in rear to include a first slide member and a second slide member, the first slide member is provided with a presser plate portion to come in contact with the first connector terminal at a card ejection position to restrain the first connector terminal from protruding into the storage portion, and first fastening portions provided at a front side and not coming in contact with the second card but coming in contact with only a front end portion of the first card, the second slide member is provided with a second fastening portion provided at a rear side and coming in contact with only a front end portion of the second card, and at a time of insertion of the first card, after the first card comes in contact with the first fastening portions, the first slide member is moved to the card installation position while pressing the second slide member, and at a time of insertion of the second card, after the second card passes the first fastening portions to come in contact with the second fastening portion, only the second slide member is moved to the card installation position.
Besides, third means is characterized in that the first card is formed to be wide and thin, the second card is formed to be narrower and thicker than the first card, the first fastening portions are formed at opposite positions of inside portions of the slide member, and a width between the first fastening portions is formed to be narrower than a width of the first card and wider than a width of the second card.
Besides, fourth means is characterized in that the slide member is urged toward a card ejecting direction by an urging member, and the lock means is constituted by a heart-shaped cam groove formed at one of the slide member and the housing, and an engagement pin provided at the other and engaging with the heart-shaped cam groove.